Cook Out Southern 500 Predictions: Last Chance to Make the Playoffs

• Is there a hard-luck driver who can steal a Playoff spot with a victory?

• With Playoffs approaching, Denny Hamlin needs to right his ship right now.

• Tyler Reddick can clinch the regular-season title with a high finish on Sunday.

Cook Out Southern 500 Betting Odds

Odds taken from BetMGM Sportsbook. Place your bets at BetMGM and use our promo code WSNSPORTS to claim the bonus: Get Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets*
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Picks for the Cook Out Southern 500

• Tyler Reddick to win the race at +600 via BetMGM

• Kyle Busch to beat Chris Buescher head-to-head at +125 via BetMGM

• Erik Jones to drive the highest-finishing Toyota at +2000 via BetMGM

Cook Out Southern 500 Predictions

There’s a Scramble for the Final NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Berths

As the final race in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Sunday’s Southern 500 is the last chance qualifier for Playoff hopefuls without a win this season and without a shot a qualifying on points.

Notably, Kyle Busch falls into that category. Not only does Busch hope to qualify for the Playoffs with a victory, but he also has a record 19-year streak of at least one win per season on the line.

The driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet came close last Saturday, leading the next-to-last lap before finishing second to surprising Harrison Burton by 0.047 seconds.

Unfortunately, we think that was Busch’s last gasp at a Playoff berth. We don’t think he’s a potential winner at +3000 via BetMGM.

In fact, we’re inclined to think Sunday’s victor will already have at least one win to his credit this season.

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Denny Hamlin Needs to Shake Off His Funk Before Cup Playoffs Begin

After winning three of the first 11 NASCAR Cup Series races this season, Denny Hamlin has finished no better than 24th in six of his last 10 starts.

A devastating penalty for an engine violation—no fault of Hamlin or his team—contributed to a fall from grace that has seen Hamlin drop from regular-season title contention to eighth in the driver standings.

Hamlin needs to right his ship before the Playoffs start on Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Darlington is the perfect place to accomplish that goal.

The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has four wins and 17 top 10s in 24 starts at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped track. In addition, he has scored six victories in 15 Xfinity Series races there.

Though we believe Hamlin will be a contender on Sunday, we don’t think he’ll win the race, and we think his +500 price at BetMGM isn’t attractive enough, given his recent results.

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Tyler Reddick Looks to Clinch Regular-Season Championship on Sunday

In a three-driver fight for the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship—and the 15-Playoff-point bonus that goes with it—Tyler Reddick holds a 17-point lead over Kyle Larson and an 18-point edge over Chase Elliott.

Reddick has shown the tremendous speed of late, posting seven top-six finishes in his last eight races, including a win at Michigan, two seconds and two thirds.

Reddick was close to victory the last time the Cup Series came to Darlington Raceway before he tangled with Chris Buescher late in the race and handed the victory to Brad Keselowski.

This time, we think Reddick (+600 via BetMGM) will get the job done and clinch the regular-season title with a victory on Sunday.

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How to Watch the Cook Out Southern 500

• What: Cook Out Southern 500 NASCAR Cup Series Race

• Where: Darlington Raceway

• When: Sunday, September 1, 6 p.m. ET

• How to Watch: USA